Descendant
by Lthien
Summary: "…Kaylee is our only hope. If I tried…If I failed…Her fate would be sealed. I cannot—will not risk her, or you…Baby, she cannot stay with us, the prophecy said—" "—Perhaps, perhaps, the prophecy is wrong! It can't be Kaylee…It can't be…" Time for magic has come to an end...The fate of a Lost King may just rest in this girl's hands...along with a certain Warlock's. IDOM!
1. The Mark

"…She can't come with us. It's too dangerous." John Pen said for the hundredth time, as he packed a roughed up suitcase. He slammed the case, garments still sticking chaotically from the sides. He turned around, his eyes red from fatigue and tears, though he wouldn't ever admit it out loud—his body movements jumpy.

He was a complete mess, his gold hair ruffled from his hands running through it too often. His tailored khaki-colored pants rumpled, and his blue, buttoned up, Armani shirt open at the collar, sweat pooling around his collarbone, staining his expensive shirt. A car thrummed with life in the background, only adding more panic to The Pen family's worry-bound minds.

They had to leave, and fast. Time was running out…as it always was.

John took in a ragged breath, his hands pressing against his temples in pure misery, his eyes squeezing shut. This is how his life was, running, endless running, _always. _Only this time things were different…his family was in danger…his _daughter_…

John opened his eyes and the sight before him took his breath away. His beloved wife, Evelyn—beautiful as always—holding his most priceless treasure, his daughter, Kaylee Rose Pen, wrapped in a thick pink linen blanket, Evelyn's gorgeous green eyes staring up at him with every emotion imaginable written on her petite face—her face, and soul, broken. Her face crumpled before looking down at her daughter again, her jaw tight, and her left hand twirling around a few strands of golden hair, her fingers trembling.

She wore a knee-length, tight, black dress; she surprisingly still slim despite giving birth to Kaylee not a few days before…Though still drugged with fatigue, and painkillers alike, Evelyn Pen was strong, her green eyes lit with life that demanded to be reckoned with, one that would not perish without a fight…

A beautiful woman of thirty-two… The one woman who won the heart of John Ambrose Pen, the last, true, descendent of the Pen dynasty…A man willing to sacrifice everything for his family, the silvery scar above his left eye the proof of that—a scar that only added to his masculinity, taking the softness away from his angelic features. His cobalt blue eyes, fiery to the core…His strong jaw, one that, as of recent days, sported a scruffy gold-brown beard…His crown of golden hair untrimmed, the golden threads stopping right above his thick eyebrows, they too showcasing power. He was handsome; there was no mistaking that…they all were.

As if sensing her husband's stare, Evelyn looked up at her husband, her green eyes lit with a fire that could rival his own—A look of a mother, protective and true, her eyes teary and red.

John took a deep gulp… Evelyn was everything John could ever ask for, that is, until Kaylee was born.

Kaylee and Evelyn were everything. Nothing else mattered… _Nothing._

John's hand squeezed the gun he had in his front pocket, his trigger-finger jumpy with nerves. His forefinger trailed along the worn silver dragon, the one that engraved his gun—a weapon passed down from father to son for generations. The dragon was well-worn now, a sign of continuous use. Evelyn's eyes flickered down to his hand, her eyes darkening.

"Just let me hold her a while longer…" Evelyn begged, her high soprano voice weak, tears streaming down her face, her eyes wide with hurt. She bounced her knee gently, her tears dripping un-relentlessly upon her daughter's blanket. Her arms tightening their hold, bringing her baby up to her chest, her long brunette locks tickling their baby's sensitive arms, and she let out the most heart-wrenching sob her husband had ever heard, the sound one that will haunt his mind for days to come.

John's hand immediately fell away from his gun and he walked closer to his two loves, the harshness gone from his eyes. John placed one hand upon his wife's shoulder, his wedding band gleaming brightly in the sunlight.

"Evy…," John started and winced at how weak his own voice sounded, "This is for her own good… It's too dangerous for her and for us…If _they_ find her, find _us_, we will die and the prophecy shall never be fulfilled. They will kill her, Evelyn." John muttered angrily to his wife, his cobalt blue eyes burning with more tears and a deep-rooted hatred that made his wife flinch, though she was used to it…They both were.

"Do not think for one second that, if I could, I would protect this child with everything that I have…That I am." John looked at his wife then; his eyes flickering a menacing gold, something that made his wife's skin erupt with goose-bumps.

"I would slaughter all of them…_All of them,_ Evelyn. I would not s-stop…" John's voice cracked from pure anger, he forcing himself to remain calm, his eyes blazing gold beneath his closed lids. It was a secret of the Pen family…Their magic. Magic was a dying art…Only a few _true_ magical families still existed and they were dying out, fast.

Evelyn touched her husband's jaw, he opening his eyes almost immediately, the gold now gone.

"Do it," Evelyn said darkly, her arms tightening around Kaylee's small form. "K-kill them…" The beautiful woman's eyes filled with tears and she covered her mouth to muffle her tears, careful not to wake Kaylee. John's face fell and he knelt on one knee, his forehead pressing to his wife's pitifully. He placed a hand upon her neck, his eyes teary.

"…Kaylee is our only hope. If I tried…If I failed…Her fate would be sealed. I cannot—_will not_ risk her, or you…Baby, she cannot stay with us, the prophecy said—"

"—Perhaps, perhaps, the prophecy is _wrong_!" Evelyn hissed up at her husband, her head pulling away, her eyes full of hope. "It can't be Kaylee…It _can't _be…"

"The Mark does not lie." John said with conviction, his eyes gleaming with fear and pride alike at his daughter. John's forefinger lightly tugged against his snoozing daughter's jumper, revealing her upper collarbone. There, a light brown birthmark gleamed ominously at them, the proof of their daughter's fate…A dragon, like the one her father's gun sported, though less ornate, lightly spiraled as if ready to strike.

Evelyn let out a louder sob, this time waking poor Kaylee who began to screech alongside her mother. John squared his jaw and ran a finger down his daughter's chubby cheek. He did not wish this fate upon her…

"…Kaylee," He said, his voice strong, and almost immediately his daughter's eyes were upon him, the baby still letting out sounds of distress.

"You mean more to me—to us, than you will ever know…" John gripped onto his wife's hand, she squeezing back almost too painfully. "With time you will come to understand why we must leave you." John blinked back tears before bending down to press a kiss to her forehead, his tears dripping upon her face. A thick strand of weathered leather dangled from his neck, at the end an ancient engraved golden ring, a dragon no less, whose claws reached out dangerously, a dragon that now separated a family…

* * *

**Guh. I had a dream about this…It was freaky, and EXTREMELY heartbreaking. Thus…this. LOL**

**Should I continue? Anyone interested? XDD**


	2. In My Arms

"Story books, full of fairy tales,  
Of kings and queens and the bluest skies,  
My heart is torn just in knowing,  
You'll someday see the truth from lies…"

* * *

"Anna, I can't thank you enough for this…For what you're doing for Kaylee." John whispered as he gave Anna's arm a light squeeze. John looked all around him to see if they were being watched, his instincts telling him all was well—for now anyways. One of Evelyn's hands rested upon her gun, which was hidden securely to her upper thigh. They were in a suburban neighborhood—Anna's house. John's nose wrinkled at the thought—normality not exactly his style.

Anna Louise Paige, a trusted friend of the Pen'. Anna let out a sigh and looked up at John, her full lips curved into a smile, her eyes sad. They weren't family; Anna did not share his _gifts._ However, she did know John and his family; their secrets and fears…of the prophecy. Anna's arm-hairs stood on end just thinking about it.

She and John grew up together…Well, as good as one can when _knowing_ the Pen family. John only trusted a slim few…Anna being one of them. She was beautiful, her hair, much like his wife's, was chestnut brown and stopped shy above her waist, giving her a youthful appearance. Her eyes were honey-brown and full of spark. No one, not even John, dared to anger the beautiful woman for fear of her wrath. She was well trained in martial arts and John had personally seen her skill with a gun. Kaylee would be safe with her, she had to be…

"I only wish I could do more for you, for your family." Anna said as she gave a friendly nod to Evelyn whose eyes were only for her daughter, whom Anna now held securely to her chest.

"What you are doing now is more than anything you could ever do for me." John said as he squeezed her arm once more, Evelyn reaching over to touch Anna's cheek, her eyes sad but filled with love for the woman—the woman who now protected Kaylee.

"Kaylee is worth more than all the gold in the world—all the money my family possesses…Something that is now hers." Anna's eyes widened with fear and her hand squeezed John's own frightfully.

"Don't you say that…," Anna begged her eyes teary. "You will be fine; you and Eve will be safe, as you always have been." John looked at her sadly; his eyes then falling onto Kaylee whose guileless blue eyes looked at him peacefully. A peace that he hoped would stay with her…even when he can't.

"Anna…I am the last Pen. Well, that they know of…" John trailed a finger down his daughter's cheek, Kaylee beaming at him, gums and all. John smiled at her, his tears spilling. "Kaylee Rose _Pen _does not exist. Her name is now 'Kaylee Rose _Paige_.' I changed it soon after her birth…"

Anna's eyes bulged, her tears now flowing freely down her face. "Where will you go?" She asked softly, her voice barely audible.

"I am the decoy. They will chase me, not Kaylee…as they always have. They think it's _me…_" Anna's fingers tightened their hold, her brown eyes almost black with fear for her friend. John laid a hand upon her shaking hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "…I will take Evelyn to a secure place, and then I will go." Evelyn dug her nails into her husband's arm, her eyes sharp.

"Like _hell_," The beauty growled, her permed nails leaving red marks. "I am coming with you!"

"Evy…!" John growled over his shoulder, his eyes just as dark, and full of protectiveness. "You will do as I say! I will not lose you, you and Kaylee's safety is everything to me!" Evelyn's eyes lightened up, only a tad, her grip still just as tight.

"…And you mean more to me than life itself." Evelyn's green eyes grew ever more solemn, her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm coming with you."

John stared at his wife dumbly, his love for her only increasing. John squared his jaw and grasped onto one of Evelyn's, like a life-line. Anna looked at both of them then, her tears only come out harder now. She reached up and cupped John's right cheek, her fingers trembling.

"I swear Kaylee will be safe here…No harm shall come to her." John smiled and cupped her hand with his own, his eyes twinkling with pride.

"I know." His smile fell, his eyes growing dark. "We must go."

Evelyn began to dig into her purse, her eyes tortured. John looked at her sadly and reached up to take off his necklace—the one that bared his crest. Anna looked at them curiously, her arms shifting Kaylee into a more comfortable position. Evelyn's hand soon revealed several, thick, envelopes and she placed them into Anna's open hand, the letters threatening to fall, her fingers gripping onto the other woman's possessively.

"This first letter is important, Anna." Anna's eyes fell onto the first envelope, the paper gold and thicker than the rest.

"…It tells all of our secrets, even the ones that we are not proud to share…Give this to Kaylee when she turns eighteen. The others are letters that are to be given to her every birthday; every year until her eighteenth…I wrote them all." Evelyn's eyes saddened, her hand trembling.

"Give it to her yourself!" Anna said almost panicky and began to shove the letters back at her friend.

"I do not have the comfort, or security to do so!" Evelyn protested her eyes sharp. "Keep this safe, for me, then. That is all I can ask." Anna nodded her head and bit her lip, her tears blurring away most of her eyesight.

"…This as well," John said as he placed the dragon-engraved ring upon Anna's neck. Anna's eyes only bulged further, the ring feeling like a weight.

"I cannot…!" Anna half screeched, fumbling to take off the ring. John placed his hands on her shoulders, his eyes commanding in that of a King. Anna immediately stopped fighting but started crying instead; Kaylee soon doing the same, the baby not understanding what was going on around her.

"Anna, please! Kaylee will need this…it is her proof—proof of her lineage. I have no need for it anymore. You must hide this well, until Kaylee is of age…" Anna squeezed the ring, her head nodding up and down fastidiously.

"I will protect it with my life!" Anna proclaimed her face a mess of tears. John nodded his head knowing that Anna kept all promises she had ever made.

"I'll see you, then, _Louie_." John said smartly before bending down to kiss her cheek. Anna let out a miserable laugh at the mention of her old nick-name. John cupped Kaylee's cheek then, bending over to press his lips to her forehead, his eyes closing.

"Stay safe, _Ambrosius_, I mean it." Anna said as John drew back. John gave her a lopsided smile, his eyes dark with sadness and hurt. Evelyn kissed Anna's cheek and then Kaylee's, her demeanor reluctant.

"Come, Evelyn…We have stayed too long." John pulled his wife into his broad chest, his muscles tense. Evelyn's face was a mess, the back of her head pressed into the crook of her husband's neck. John looked right and left once more as he began to back away, half dragging his sobbing wife.

Anna stood in her doorway, Kaylee's cries representing her own—the ones she so desperately wanted to present watching as John half forced Evelyn into the passenger seat of their car; his hands desperate in their attempts to fasten her seatbelt.

With every cry Kaylee let out, John flinched, his blue eyes looking up at Anna, she shocked to find her friend's eyes filled with tears. John squared his jaw before forcing himself into the car as well, his hands tight around the steering wheel. His hands soon relented when he heard an ominous _crack!_ He snapping a small piece away from the whole. John Pen gave one last look to Anna before starting the engine and screeching away, the sound of tires echoing all throughout her silent neighborhood.

Anna looked down at Kaylee…her daughter, and sobbed harder, forcing herself into her own house and locking all five locks and sliding the chain into place. Her back slid down the door, her arms holding the screaming baby to her chest—her one last connection to her friends. The letters lay to her right, scattered, all scripted with Evelyn Pen's elegant handwriting…

'_First,'_

'_Second'_

'_Third…'_

All the way to eighteen, this letter saying,

'_Happy eighteenth birthday, my sweet Kaylee_…_We are so proud of you_."

The ring felt heavier now…The gold feeling like lead.

She would protect this child; protect her for her friends…

* * *

"Clouds will rage in,  
Storms will race in,  
But you will be safe in my arms,  
Rains will pour down,  
Waves will crash around,  
But you will be safe in my arms,

In my arms…"

— Plumb, "In My Arms"

* * *

**So… I am heartbroken now. Next chapter will be more about the future…Kaylee's future that is.**

**Best wishes as always,**

**Lthien~**


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